Acting U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced on November 13 his agency is planning to initiate rulemaking to tighten emissions standards and “help modernize heavy-duty truck engines.”

The initiative, known as the Cleaner Trucks Initiative, marks one of the first times the Trump administration is voluntarily toughening regulations.

The EPA notes it’s at the early stages of drafting a proposed rulemaking, and significant work must be done before a rule can even be proposed. The proposed rule will likely focus on the standards for nitrous oxide emissions, which have not been updated in nearly 20 years.

A proposed rule is not expected until 2020. Once proposed, the general public will have time to provide comments before a final rule is released. NGWA will continue to follow the development of the Cleaner Truckers Initiative in an effort to ensure NGWA members who operate fleets of vehicles—like drilling rigs, pump hoists, and service trucks—are properly protected.